New Music – Page 183 – Queen City Sounds and Art

The Violet Whispers’ Debut Single “Heaven Knows” is a Glorious Celebration of What Makes Us Unique

The Violet Whispers, photo courtesy the artist

There is a spirit of openness running through “Heaven Knows,” the debut single from Australian band The Violet Whispers. Its blend of acoustic instruments and synth feels like a bridge between current indie pop and music of They Might Be Giants from the 1980s. The song is about self-acceptance, self-love, even for our native qualities that maybe we’ve been encouraged to see as deficits. In that process of flipping that script on our “imperfections” and “eccentricities” we find a way to do something glorious and unique with our gifts and in turn encourage that transformation in others. The expansive dynamic of the song feels like a triumph over one’s neuroses based on a rejection of self over things that are nothing to be ashamed of or concerned about. Listen to “Heaven Knows” on Soundcloud and connect with The Violet Whispers at the links provided.

thevioletwhispers.com
https://soundcloud.com/thevioletwhispers
https://thevioletwhispersmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.instagram.com/thevioletwhispersmusic

Bollard’s “Ziggurat” is a Dream Song About the Excitement About the Collapse of the Current Era and the Beginning of Another

The brooding pulse that runs through Bollard’s single “Ziggurat” serves as the driving force underneath the spoken lyrics. Its reminiscent of what you might get with a mix of Slint and Pile with the haunting intensity and fusion of mood, texture and atmosphere. A guitar stutters and burns over the top of the main line, sputtering out giving way to to staggered arpeggio. The song is about the limitations we place on ourselves to give ourselves the illusion of control and how we internalize those imposed on us as well, propping up a notion of civilization and an identity based in it that really does rest on an arbitrary foundation of assumptions. The tone of the song conveys a sense of excitement over the crumbling of that edifice as consciousness of the reality of our social and psychological consensus as people are rapidly waking up to the realization that it is a contingent reality that we can change if we dare to manifest a different set of visions an dreams that serve ourselves better than the way the world is now. Calling the song “Ziggurat” invokes the image of Babylon and its own fall under the weight of its own corruption and its symbol a decadent empire for the modern era, one that has lost sight of its mission and utility as a mass organization that benefits its people. Watch the video for “Ziggurat” on YouTube and connect with Bollard at the links provided.

https://bollardband.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/thebandbollard
https://www.instagram.com/abandcalledbollard

“Submarine” by Audio Dope Reconciles the Dreamlike and Ethereal and the Direct and Intense Sides of Artistic Expression

The enigmatically titled “Submarine” by Swiss ambient artist Audio Dope has the hints of steady rain in the background in the beginning of the song, lonely keyboard melody and impressionistic, almost vocal tones that drop gently while the end lines of the keyboard figure warp gently out. Halfway through the song, though, this more abstract atmosphere gives way to a harder rhythm and echoing vocal sounds that seem darker in a more urgent yet measured rhythm with the bass hitting where the more ethereal tones earlier in the song served as emotional accents to pace of the song. In that respect it’s like the two halves of the song are mirror images potentially signifying sides of one’s personality that may be on the surface at any given time while another, concurrent, runs underneath but reconciled by essentially being one of emphasis. One tranquil and dreamy, the other more intense and direct. Both imbued with a reflective melancholy. Listen to “Submarine” on Soundcloud and follow Audio Dope at the links provided.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7vByi0TCh4wNTdqNK7dNqe
https://soundcloud.com/audio-dope
https://audiodope.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/therealaudiodope
https://www.instagram.com/audiodope

Azu Tiwaline’s Dub Inflected Techno Song “Omok” is a Journey From the Everyday to a Path of Dream Fulfillment

Azu Tiwaline employs interlocking polyrhythms on her single “Omok.” The sound palate is that of Berberian and Saharan trance music with the use of traditional percussion texture and tonality but processed in a manner reminiscent of dub and IDM. Like Muslimgauze given a more modern treatment through the lens of techno. The song puts you in an alternative headspace as it is very grounding and hypnotic at once. It sounds both intimate and familiar yet exotic as your brain’s sense of time shifts across the duration of the song and nuances of feeling and consciousness reveal themselves to you. The music video for the song, too, is a journey from the personal to the more transcendent from everyday experiences to a journey on the path of dream fulfillment. Watch the video for “Omok” on YouTube and connect with Tunisian electronic music artist Azu Tiwaline at the links below.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0HZwEDqo4wYPQIGacES3mB
https://soundcloud.com/azu-tiwaline
https://www.facebook.com/azu.tiwaline
https://www.instagram.com/azu.tiwaline

Innerkid Explores and Peels Back Socialized Personae to Breathe Free as One’s True Self on “I Lied”

The dynamics and pacing of Innerkid’s “I Lied” give the song the seemingly contradictory qualities of expansiveness and being grounded. The bass line keeps things on an even keel as synths soar off into heights of mood. The vocals navigate those poles and swim amid bright, distorted washes of synth and come in and out of focus across the song as though using the music to sort through aspects of identity and exploring whether aspects of one’s personality is who you really are or something you’ve learned or adopted to get along or taken on because you think it’s how you have to be in order to fit in. That is until keeping up a facade that doesn’t suit you is impossible to keep up, one that hides a you that is nothing to be ashamed of or hidden especially in a social situation that is worthwhile. The use of guitar for texture and rhythm also keeps your ear in the present even as the vocals go through processing as if simulating taking on various situational personas that are shed by the song’s end. Listen to “I Lied” on Soundcloud and connect with Innerkid at the links provided.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ORCkT485icaNzpzLONWbZ
http://innerkidmusic.com
https://soundcloud.com/innerkidmusic
https://twitter.com/innerkidmusic
https://www.facebook.com/innerkidband
https://www.instagram.com/innerkidmusic

KUSH K Invites Us Into a Private World of a Love Sheltered From a Shabby World With the Dark, Psychedelic Jangle of “Special”

The sprawling yet processional pacing of KUSH K’s “Special” is a longform ode to a love kept close to the chest away from the scrutiny of those who might seek to undermine it and comment in ways that lack sensitivity and understanding. The meditative guitar riff and subtle keyboard work, like the musical equivalent of soft, background lighting that illuminates in subtle, slow moving waves, enhance the emotional coloring of the vocals that crest on a flowing current of syllable accents. It is an interesting, complimentary blend of tone, mood and texture that is reminiscent of Emma Ruth Rundle circa Marked For Death with a little of the jangle and psychedelia of Opal. It’s a song that brings you into a private space in confidence and recognition that most people at some time have felt the need to shelter and harbor their tenderest feelings from the shabby treatment of those lacking in grace. Listen to “Special” on YouTube.

“All I’ve Known” by A.O. Gerber is a Musical Daydream as a Reminder to Yourself to Not Run From What Might Make You Happy

The lush and complex arrangements A.O. Gerber brings to her song “All I’ve Known” allows it to feel like something that came out of a dream. The swirl of synth, touches of piano, glimmerings of guitar, spare percussion and Gerber’s layered vocals bring you into a song of feeling adrift and yearning for connection. Like maybe you’ve met someone promising but you don’t know if you can indulge the conceit that you can let someone into your life. That you’ve gotten into the habit of being alone and lonely. “I will never get to know you but it’s a game I had to try” speaks to this ambivalence that is a line of defense against taking that chance. But sometimes those habits break down a little starting with a notion that takes you a little by surprise. “Lately I’ve been waking up to find I’ve been misplaced” articulates that awakening to something you want in your life but your psyche has to come at it from an unconventional direction otherwise you might do as you usually do and evade an encounter and connection that could enrich your life. By the song’s end Gerber sings “I don’t wanna be lonesome” into the outro like a mantra, like a reminder that overcoming one’s own inertia that once protected your heart may no longer serve you in the present phase of your life. Listen to “All I’ve Known” on YouTube and follow A.O. Gerber at the links below.

https://www.instagram.com/aogerber
www.aogerber.com

Adélaide’s “Silent Hope” Gives Voice to the Realization That Sometimes a Hoped For Romance is Better Left Unrequited

Adélaide’s single “Silent Hope” is reminiscent of a more downtempo early Talk Talk. Its urgent rhythm syncs well with its evocation of the a time in life when you have to reconcile yourself with the possibility, even the reality, that a romance you thought would manifest isn’t and maybe shouldn’t happen. The line “the silent hope makes my head spin” near the beginning and “my silent hopes have faded” later on reflects the impact of someone sending mixed messages that perhaps seemed promising in the beginning but in the end leave you feeling confused and wanting something more vital and real. Which is a more complex emotional sentiment than one often hears in a pop song. Listen to the downcast but buoyant synth pop song on Soundcloud and connect with Adélaide at the links provided.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4IqyIXyWko1WbYKXN26TZo
https://soundcloud.com/user-268703467-54716390
https://www.facebook.com/Adelaide.Muzik
https://www.instagram.com/adelaide.musik

Ariane Creates a Heady Sense of a Burgeoning Romance on “VHS”

Ariane was inspired by the seemingly carefree quality of a 1980s romantic comedy for her single “VHS.” But like many of those movies, there’s a bit more complexity and reticence to work through before the relationship can actually blossom. But the upbeat and bright synth melody and moments of contemplation giving way to what might be described as tentative excitement as though maybe the narrator in the song is reluctant to rush into things and expressing some of the roots of that hesitancy. But what Ariane also captures well is the sense of an aspiration to being swept up in the romance or perhaps one might say the romance of being swept up in a good, passionate relationship. The sweeping pace and introspective tones one imagines suiting a montage scene accompanied by music that seems to have been a part of most movies from the 80s during which one sees the principal characters interact without dialogue and you get an unconventional insight into their chemistry through the music setting the mood to the action. Listen to “VHS” on Soundcloud and connect with the French-American pop singer and songwriter Ariane at the links below.

facebook.com/arianeogabriel
instagram.com/arianeogabriel

The Found Tape Aesthetic of Mild Wild’s “Chain-Link Fence” Makes it a Lo-Fi, Timeless Commentary on the Perils of Consumerism and Culture as a Disposable Commodity

Mild Wild “Chain Link Fence” cover (cropped)

Mild Wild took the opposite approach to crafting the music and production of its single “Chain-Link Fence” than what we hear too often now when most makers of music can afford to sound “good” in a professional musical sense. But what too much music lacks is a sense of rough hewn spontaneity. The instruments used on the recording and the gear employed to capture the sounds were come by through inheriting items from friends or finding them at the thrift store or in a dumpster. And if that’s partly a myth, this song certainly sounds like someone used an old Tascam Portastudio and used it to great effect as say John Vanderslice did on his early recordings or the way Microphones sound on The Glow, Pt. 2. It has the aesthetic of a found reel-to-reel tape of indeterminate vintage as the songwriting isn’t really dated by popular cultural references but, rather, a commentary on the corrosive nature of consumerist culture on how we value not just art but how we construct meaning in the world and thus each other and ourselves. It warns of not aspiring to dubious dreams that make you essentially a servant of a system of economics and existence that relegates everyone and everything to a commodity that is immediately disposable and consumable. It suggests that we deserve better and we can have it if we don’t fall victim to a mentality that atomizes our experiences and lives by colonizing our sense of self and each other in all areas of our lives. The song is a refreshingly unvarnished hearkening back to mid-2000s lo-fi indie pop that seemed to take no cues from commercial musical trends while being instantly accessible as the music was meant to be relatable and convey a sincere commentary on society without being didactic. Listen to “Chain-Link Fence” on Spotify (where you can listen to the rest of the album Mild Wild, Vol. 1) and connect with Mild Wild at the links below.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0U6PR4Gzq9kw5mL05qSVXu
https://soundcloud.com/mildwildmusic
https://www.instagram.com/mildwildmusic